Posts tagged Jim Webb
Webb Calls for VA Examination of Services at Hampton Veteran Medical Center, Citing Documented Deficiencies and Complaints
Oct 22nd
Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) this week called on the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs to examine the quality of healthcare services being provided patients at the Hampton Veteran Medical Center (VMC) in Hampton, Virginia. Senator Webb cited the 149 complaints his office had received since 2007 from Virginians, critical media reports on the Hampton facility and two VA Inspector General investigations revealing that the medical center had failed to comply with a number of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policies and guidelines.
“I am aware that the vast majority of the staff at the center is dedicated, hardworking and committed to veterans’ healthcare,” Webb wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. “Nevertheless, the allegations, news stories and GAO reports, when taken collectively, are a source of great concern.”
Senator Webb’s letter to Secretary Shinseki, calling for a review, follows.
October 19, 2009
The Honorable Eric Shinseki
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Shinseki:
I am writing to convey my continued concern about the quality of healthcare services being provided patients at the Hampton Veteran Medical Center (VMC) in Hampton, Virginia.
Since January 2007, my staff has received 149 complaints about the Hampton VMC from patients or their spouses. The allegations range from abusive patient treatment to wrongful death. In addition, a number of news reports have raised serious concerns with the level of care provided at the Hampton VMC.
According to a Combined Assessment Program (CAP) Review of the Hampton VMC conducted by the VA’s Inspector General last year (Report Number 08-00916-204, 9/15/2008), this medical center failed to comply with a number of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policies and guidelines.
This IG report also detailed unsatisfactory results of the Hampton VMC Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) that captures patient perceptions of care in 12 service areas: “The medical center’s inpatient and outpatient overall SHEP scores for FY 2007 and the 1st quarter of FY 2008 did not meet established targets and were lower than national and VISN scores.”
Another IG investigation of the Hampton VMC conducted last month (Report Number 09-02307-220, 9/18/2009) confirmed a patient’s accusation of a serious misdiagnosis by an attending doctor in the medical center’s Emergency Department (ED): “We substantiated the allegation that the treating physician did not conduct an adequate work-up of the patient’s stroke symptoms..” The report added that, “..the ED physician improperly copied and pasted laboratory results from a patient he’d seen earlier in the ED into the medical record of the complainant.”
I am aware that the vast majority of the staff at the center is dedicated, hardworking and committed to veterans’ healthcare. Nevertheless, the allegations, news stories and GAO reports, when taken collectively, are a source of great concern.
Therefore, I request a thorough examination of the Hampton VMC be conducted; that any deficiencies subsequently detected be corrected so as not to recur; and that I be informed of the results.
Sincerely,
Jim Webb
United States Senator
Popularity: 8% [?]
McDonnell aims to tap support of veterans
Sep 24th
Sarah Abruzzese (Contact)–Washington Times–
Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert F. McDonnell, a former Army officer who as Virginia’s attorney general helped ensure overseas military members’ votes counted in the last election, is hoping to reap the rewards of his effort when service members vote again in November.
With 814,000 veterans and 203,508 Department of Defense employees — a total that includes active-duty, reserve and civilian personnel — Virginia’s military community is expected to have a large say in a state that Gov. Tim Kaine won in 2005 with just over 1 million votes.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Mr. McDonnell has many attributes that will appeal to the military voter.
“It is a vote that usually leans Republican by various margins, and, of course, McDonnell having been a veteran himself, and having a daughter fight in Iraq, and being from Virginia Beach, [he] has some good arguments to use in courting them,” he said. “It always depends on their turnout and how close the race is. It is certainly looking to be a much more competitive race than the McDonnell folks had hoped it would be, so he may need every vote.”
As of August, nearly 5 million people were registered to vote in November’s election, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections. While 75 percent of the eligible voters turned out for last year’s presidential election, fewer people generally vote for governor.
In 2005, only 45 percent of the state’s 4.5 million voters cast ballots and four years before that only 46 percent of the state’s 4.1 million registered voters turned out.
The Democratic candidate, R. Creigh Deeds, has not conceded the military vote. Mr. Deeds created a veterans group chaired by Sen. Jim Webb, Virginia Democrat, who served as a combat Marine in Vietnam, to help steer policy and he’s put forward a plan to assist veterans and members of the military across the state.
Terron Sims II, a former Army captain who was co-director of the Virginia Veterans for Obama, said Mr. Deeds has a long track record of advocating for current and former military members and their families through legislation. Even though Mr. Deeds isn’t a veteran, Mr. Sims said, the military community will support him.
“People assume that all veterans support veterans. That is not actually the case. That is like saying all women support women and all black people support black people,” Mr. Sims said.
But Mr. McDonnell, who worked as a medical supply officer and retired a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserves after a career that spanned 21 years on active duty and in the reserves, is looking for a large military turnout in the hope it will give him a boost.
As attorney general in the last election, Mr. McDonnell pressed to ensure that overseas military members voting absentee could cast their ballots. Many military voters had their votes disqualified because they had not complied with a Virginia statute requiring the printed name and address of a witness; Mr. McDonnell said that federal law pre-empted that state law and the ballots should not be rejected.
Absentee ballots accounted for about a half-million of the votes cast in last year’s presidential election and 222,059 of the votes cast in 2004. In the 2005 Virginia gubernatorial contest, 75,982 people cast absentee ballots.
For Mr. McDonnell, winning the historically Republican-friendly voting bloc isn’t enough. He needs to inspire them to turn out in large numbers – especially since he has seen his double-digit advantage slip away in most polls.
Mr. McDonnell has paid numerous visits to veterans group across the state, eating breakfasts at Veterans of Foreign Wars lodges and giving speeches at American Legion posts. He spoke to the state’s annual VFW convention in June. He and his opponent addressed the American Legion convention in July.
Mr. McDonnell’s daughter Jeanine is a former Army officer and Iraq war veteran who has been campaigning across the state for her father. Once a week, Ms. McDonnell takes part in a veterans phone bank, asking potential voters for support.
“I think there are a lot of factors in determining the outcome of the election. I think that vets and retired military are a big part,” she said Wednesday. “Since he is a veteran and is retired, he is more sensitive to their needs. It is personal thing for him. I’ll leave the policies and other things up to him to discuss.”
The campaign has sent out mailers to women and military members across the state signed by Ms. McDonnell. The campaign hosts veteran phone campaign on nights when veterans work the phone banks.
“The military vote is going to be a big factor,” she said. “Not only those who served but family members. I think it is a huge part of the vote and could possibly be a large factor in the outcome of the election.”
Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, Woodbridge Republican and a retired Army colonel, is co-chairman of the Veterans for McDonnell campaign. Mr. Lingamfelter helps coordinate voter-mobilization efforts, which he said will be huge on Election Day.
“They’re going door to door. They are integrated into the ground game,” he said. “Those veterans are going to be out there on Election Day because they know how important it is to elect a veteran for veterans.”
Both candidates have been aggressive in defining and issuing proposals on how they will assist the military community if elected.
The Republican candidate said he will create a Cabinet-level position to advise on active-duty military and dependent issues. That person will be tasked with figuring out what Virginia needs to do regarding supporting the military’s mission, assisting family members who live in the state, providing care for returning members including transitioning back to civilian life and helping them and their families to recover from combat trauma. The adviser also will consider new laws to support service members.
Among the policies aimed at assisting veterans, Mr. McDonnell has said he will create a state compact with veterans that establishes a long-term vision and commitment to their needs. Mr. McDonnell also wants to create an automated claims-processing center to make filing for claims faster. He wants to create a statewide network to help veterans find jobs, and he pledged to work to close the gap between state and federal programs to assist homeless veterans.
Mr. Deeds wants to do more to support Virginia’s Wounded Warrior program. He wants to build a support network when it comes to treatment for veterans as well as streamline the benefits claims process. Mr. Deeds also said he will help make colleges affordable for veterans, provide tax relief for disabled veterans and help them find jobs when they return from duty.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Governor hopefuls make pitches to military families, veterans
Jul 17th
July 17, 2009
The 2008 presidential race in Virginia featured a pitch to the military community in Hampton Roads, and that was just the beginning.
The state Democratic Party now has a veterans and military family caucus. One local Republican lawmaker, Del. Phil Hamilton, has formed an advisory council on military and veterans issues.
Now the two candidates for governor are taking aim at the military vote with plans for jobs, health care and tax relief.
Republican Bob McDonnell will mix his policy pitch with a personal appeal, stressing his active duty service in the Army from 1976 to 1981, which included a stint at Fort Eustis. He later served in the reserves and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1997.
“For me, it’s personal,” he said.
Democrat Creigh Deeds is armed with the support of Sen. Jim Webb, a former combat Marine and secretary of the Navy who chairs the candidate’s veterans policy steering committee.
He also hopes to build on the Democrats’ overtures to the military that then-candidate Barack Obama prioritized last year.
“I did not serve in the military, but I’ve appreciated that service all my life,” Deeds said. “I don’t think one can be an effective governor unless you can understand these issues.”
Troops coming home face an uncertain job market if they leave active duty and a health care system that has been criticized as slow to respond to rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
The suicide rate in the Army is major concern of top brass, a sign of the stress of extended and unpredictable deployments.
About one of 10 Virginians is a veteran, and the state is home to 156,000 active military personnel, as well as 26,000 reservists and 10,000 members of the Virginia National Guard, according to state data.
McDonnell sees the need for organizational reforms to address this sprawling population.
He would appoint a senior adviser to the governor on military affairs and assemble a group to create a “Virginia Compact with Veterans,” which would lay out long-range goals.
“I think we need a longer view,” he said.
On jobs, McDonnell wants to create an employment Web site to match companies to job-seeking veterans. He will also propose legislation to waive permit and application fees for qualifying veterans who want to start a business.
Deeds says Virginia must also do a better job of caring for its deployed reservists and National Guard members.
“We’re calling on them to spend months and months overseas fighting for their country,” he said, “and it concerns me because I come in contact with these people whose families have been put into serious financial jeopardy.”
The Military Family Relief Fund is designed to help families make ends meet during deployment, and Deeds wants to make those grants tax-free.
Also, he would waive the yearlong residency requirement for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities that now applies to dependents of active-duty military and veterans.
Copyright © 2009, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Popularity: 4% [?]
Webb Calls on Veterans Affairs Department to Examine Reports of Misrepresentation of Military Service
Jul 17th
Letter Asks for Immediate Action to Root out Fraud and Abuse in VA System
Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today asked Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to “immediately and proactively” examine recurring allegations of misrepresentation of military service that may have resulted in the awarding of unearned veterans benefits and false recognition for service. This correspondence reiterates concerns laid out in a July 7 letter by Senators Webb and Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Webb, a former Marine Officer and highly decorated Vietnam veteran, said he was “increasingly concerned” by numerous media reports of investigations and studies focusing on fraudulent practices resulting in widespread abuses.
“These allegations have been made in many forums, frequently by individuals whose integrity and respect for service cannot be questioned. I have no way at present to measure their validity, particularly as it relates to the conduct of your Department. But since they go to the very core of military service, I believe they should be examined immediately and proactively, with oversight at the top levels of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” wrote Webb.
Cited in the Senator’s letter were numerous allegations of fraudulent POW disability claims; the honoring of fraudulent or exaggerated service claims; fraudulent claims for various combat decorations, awards and campaign ribbons; lax security of pertinent records at VA Regional Offices; inadequate vetting of claimant documentation and official statements; and claimants directly or indirectly altering or registering fraudulent service claims in their official records.
Senator Webb’s letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki follows.
July 13, 2009
The Honorable Eric Shinseki
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, N. W.
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Shinseki:
On July 7, 2009, Senator Akaka and I sent a letter to you and Secretary of Defense Gates, seeking clarification on allegations of numerous fraudulent POW disability claims, and an apparent disparity between your department’s list of POWs and the official POW registry maintained by the Department of Defense.
In addition, I have become increasingly concerned by media reports, recurring studies and continuing investigations that focus on the broader issue of misrepresentation of military service, in many cases causing unearned veterans benefits to be provided and in others giving false recognition for service in a manner that detracts from the actual sacrifices that so many have made on behalf of our country. Among the issues, findings and allegations:
- Fraudulent or exaggerated service claims resulting in the awarding of pensions, disability compensation, and other benefits;
- Fraudulent claims for various combat decorations, awards and campaign ribbons;
- Lax security of pertinent records at VA Regional Offices;
- Lax vetting of claimant documentation and official statements; and,
- Claimants directly or indirectly altering or registering fraudulent service claims in their official records.
These allegations have been made in many forums, frequently by individuals whose integrity and respect for service cannot be questioned. I have no way at present to measure their validity, particularly as it relates to the conduct of your Department. But since they go to the very core of military service, I believe they should be examined immediately and proactively, with oversight at the top levels of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I would further ask that members of my staff be comprehensively briefed as soon as possible by VA officials regarding this issue and the measures that are being taken by the Department to combat it. I may participate in this briefing, or follow-on briefings, as well.
Sincerely,
Jim Webb, United States Senator
Popularity: 3% [?]
